This application is related to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 904,460 filed Sept. 8, 1986 and entitled IMPROVED EARRING CONSTRUCTION and now U. S. Pat. No. 4,756,168 issued Jul. 12, 1988 and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 189,299 filed May 2, 1988 which in turn is a division of said aforementioned application.
This invention relates to a simplified nut construction and the method of forming such. The term nut as hereinafter used means not only devices which receive a threaded member, but any device, article, etc. which is provided with an opening adapted to receive a threaded member in the manner of the present invention.
Providing conventional threads in a nut is costly, time consuming and requires specialized tooling. In addition and especially when the nut is part of a larger article, i.e., the nut is a threaded opening in an article such as an electrical wiring box, the necessity of brushing or otherwise removing both the chips, etc. formed from the cutting process and oil or other cutting fluids utilized is bothersome and costly as well. Forming threads by cutting also involves a separate operation requiring additional handling of the article. It would thus be desirable to be able to form a nut without incurring metal chips, dust, etc. or utilizing cutting fluids that require a cleaning step and to be able to form such a nut construction without requiring further article handling other than those necessitated by its overall character.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a nut within an overall article and its formation method that does not require added handling steps in its formation.
Another object of the invention is to provide a nut either separately or within an overall article and its method of formation that does not require the normal cleanup procedures associated with metal cutting.
These and other objects of the present invention are accomplished by a nut having a generally flat body with a circular smooth bore opening extending therethrough, said opening having at least one flat chordally extending across the inner periphery of said opening and entirely within the thickness of said opening, said flat having a generally V-shaped running edge, said edge forming a tooth for engagement with the threads of a screw adapted to be received in said opening, said edge extending up to but not exceeding one complete revolution with said opening.
Other objects, features and advantages of the invention shall become apparent as the description thereof proceeds when considered in connection with the accompanying illustrative drawing.